Dig It

The contents of this week’s box: zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, three pints cherry tomatoes, one pint heirloom tomatoes, one pint tomatillos (the first of the season), two onions, one bunch garlic, mint and okra.

Declining squash harvests are still a disappointment, but I noticed new growth all week, including the ripening of a couple of cucumbers and two varieties of peppers (green and purple bell). And perhaps more importantly, the melons should be set soon. I spent a couple of hours earlier in the week placing cantaloupe on overturned flower pots, to keep them from rotting on ground that is too damp. I cannot wait to see a yellow one that isn’t rotten waiting in the field.

I’ve also been attempting to keep pests from harming our new squash plants, wrapping aluminum foil around their stems to stave off squash vine borers (the adults of whom are now out of the old squash plants and in the air, just waiting to do more damage) and checking their leaves for eggs. But the bugs can be overwhelming. Last week, I discovered grasshopper damage on now-chewed-down okra leaves, cucumber beetle damage on now-skeletonized pumpkin leaves and a new sort of egg (that of the leaf-footed bug) to worry about. I now understand the value of floating row covers—it might be a chore to hand-pollinate plants, but worth it to avoid all of these insects (and the egg-searching and pyrethrin-spraying that come with them).

After the jump, the recipes that I sent out. Click images to enlarge.

Eggplant Pasta Salad (from realsimple.com)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup white wine vinegar

kosher salt and pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons capers

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 pound dried penne

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the celery and cook, 3 minutes. Stir in the eggplant and tomatoes.
2. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, vinegar, ¼ cup water, 2 ½ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the sugar. Stir into the eggplant.
3. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the capers, pine nuts (if using), and parsley.
4. Meanwhile, cook the penne according to the package directions. Toss with the remaining oil, let cool, and cover. Combine the eggplant with the pasta before serving.

Serves 4.

Tomato and Garlic Sauce (from realsimple.com)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 pints grape tomatoes, halved

8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Pour or spoon the sauce over cooked meat, fish or pasta.

Serves 4.

Tomatillo Salsa (from realsimple.com)

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, peeled

½ pound (about eight) tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered

¼ medium sweet white onion

½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse the garlic until chopped. Add the tomatillos, onions, jalapeno, and lime juice and pulse until fairly smooth.
2. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Store covered in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 1 cup, serves 4.

Lemon-Mint Cooler (from realsimple.com)

Ingredients:

¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)

¼ cup sugar

3 cups water

½ cup torn fresh mint leaves

1 12-ounce can club soda

lemon slices (to garnish)

ice

Directions:

1. Place the lemon juice, sugar and ½ cup water in a large pitcher. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then add 2 ½ more cups water, the mint leaves, the club soda, a few slices of lemon to garnish, and plenty of ice.

Serves 4.